Sambhu Ram, 38, is a coal worker in a company that outsources workers to Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, and earns a meager ₹310 per day. Ram, a resident of Jharia in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, is the sole bread earner for a seven-member family. He lives in thatched roof house with […]
Category: Coal
Govt looks to acquire forest land for mining in Korba
The coal ministry has issued a notification on its intention to acquire 712.072 hectares (ha) and all rights over the land for mining coal in Madanpur South coal block in Korba district of Chhattisgarh, whose government has been considering declaring the rich forest area an elephant reserve. According to the notification published on December 24, […]
CIL’s Rs1 lakh-cr plan to diversify products gets centre’s nod
The government has approved a Rs. 1 lakh crore diversification plan by state-run Coal India Limited (CIL) to set up two aluminium plants in eastern India and an entire solar module manufacturing value chain, including the country’s first polysilicon facility, to compete with China, two people aware of the development said. Polysilicon is a form […]
Coal India prepares Rs 1L cr plan to diversify into aluminium, solar sectors
The government has approved state-run Coal India Ltd (CIL)’s Rs 1-lakh-crore diversification plan to set up two aluminium plants in the eastern region and an entire solar module manufacturing value chain, including India’s first polysilicon facility to compete with China, two people aware of the development said. CIL will set up three specific-purpose vehicles (SPVs) […]
Coal India set to diversify into non-coal mining areas in 2021
State-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) is set to diversify into non-coal mining areas as well as make major investments in clean technology in 2021 after demand for the dry fuel remained muted for most of this year amid the coronavirus pandemic impacting economic activities. Against all odds, including the slump in coal demand, the government […]
Faster coal mine operationalisation to reduce import: Coal add secretary
The Centre, state governments and coal block allocatees need to come together in a “coordinated and harmonious way” to operationalise the blocks at a faster pace as of the total 98 mines auctioned so far, only 33 are operational, Coal Additional Secretary M Nagaraju said on Thursday. He said that fast operationalisation of coal blocks […]
Australian Prime Minister says China’s coal ban would breach WTO rules
Australia’s Prime Minister said Tuesday that China would be in breach of World Trade Organization rules as well as a bilateral free trade agreement if it banned Australian coal. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was responding to a report in the Chinese state-owned Global Times newspaper that the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission had given […]
India’s coal import drops 19% during Apr-Oct this fiscal
India’s coal import saw a drop of 18.6 per cent to 116.81 million tonnes (MT) during April-October this fiscal as against the same period a year ago. India had imported 143.63 MT of coal during the corresponding period of FY 2019-20, according to a provisional compilation by mjunction services, based on monitoring of vessels’ positions […]
Coal power plants need an integrated approach
As the contribution of renewable energy (RE) in electricity supply increases, proportionally fewer coal plants may be needed. The ones that remain will have to operate more flexibly to accommodate the varying nature of RE. Most coal plants were not designed to operate this way. In addition, there are regulations to clean up coal power […]
Goa govt sends notices to 19 companies to pay up rural cess amounting to over Rs200 crore
The Goa government has sent out demand notices to 19 companies to pay up cess dues amounting to Rs208.73 crore for 2014-18 period. The notices come at a time when the Goa government is facing a severe revenue crunch because mining work has stopped, there is a slowdown in tourism, and GST earnings are lower […]
Rail blockade: Coal stocks drying up, power crisis deepens in Punjab
With the state corporation suffering a double whammy, power crisis in Punjab is set to deepen. Suspension of freight trains due to the farm agitation has hit coal supplies to power plants across the state. The power generation has nosedived at a time the demand has gone up due to the festive season (see box). […]
Ex-NDA minister Dilip Ray gets 3-year jail in coal case
A Special CBI court on Monday sentenced former union minister of state for coal, Dilip Ray, 66, to three years for illegally allocating, in 1999, a Jharkhand coal block to a private company Castron Technologies Ltd (CTL). The special CBI judge, Bharat Parashar, observed that the Brahmadiha coal block in Giridih, Jharkhand was allocated to […]